“Car Week” is finally here on the Monterey Peninsula! Soon we’ll be spotting fantastic and incredible cars as we drive on the roadways in Carmel, Pebble Beach, Carmel Valley, Pacific Grove, and Monterey. Already car enthusiasts are converging on the Monterey Peninsula from all corners of our nation and beyond to attend a week of events, road rallies, parades, parties, racing, fashion shows, and car auctions.

The week culminates on Sunday, August 16th with the prestigious Concours d’Elegance in Pebble Beach. “Car people” look forward to this week with its events and parties all year long. For the locals it is just great fun to partake of some of the events and enjoy the “Car Eye Candy” on the streets of Carmel and Pebble Beach! Antique cars polished to perfection, Ferrari’s, Corvettes, Porsches, Bentleys – you name it and its here. Even the exotic Lamborghini!

Some of the events are quite costly, but there are two FREE events that one should not miss. My favorite event is “Concours on the Avenue” (Tuesday August 11th 10:00am-5:00pm) which takes place on Carmel-by-the-Sea’s world famous Ocean Avenue. This is the newest event founded by Doug and Genie Freedman. Sixteen blocks of downtown will be filled with collector cars including Luxury Cars, Muscle Cars, Hot Rods, and Sporting Cars. The spit and polish needed to prepare these automobiles for showing and judging is incredible!

Tiffany will be on hand with impressive trophies for the winners and, of course, those famous “blue boxes”.

This impressive presentation is free to spectators and benefits the Carmel Foundation that provides a wide variety of services to local seniors. Local residents and visitors come in droves so arrive early and wear comfortable shoes. You can even bring your four-footed friend if you wish.

Of course, if you get too tired with all of this walking and car gazing there are plenty of chairs and places to take a brief rest.

To add to the fun the merchants up and down Ocean Avenue have decorated their show windows with displays that depict the car industry. Be sure to check out our Alain Pinel Realtors window display at the NW corner of Ocean and Dolores. Grab your mate and your camera and come enjoy the day!

The second FREE event, the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance presented by Rolex, is also not to be missed and is on Thursday, August 13th . You can either find a spot to watch the cars drive by on their tour of the Monterey Peninsula or you can view the cars from Noon-2:00pm on Ocean Avenue in downtown Carmel. You’ll see cars that will be appearing at the Concours d’ Elegance on Sunday.

For a complete listing of all events this week stay tuned! Meanwhile, enjoy these pictures of the cars from past “Car Weeks” to whet your appetite!

I don’t know about you, but Tuesday and Thursday’s car shows are on my calendar, so hope to see you this week at one of these events! For questions about the event or about our local real estate market, give me a call 831-320-6801. I’m your local real estate expert on the Monterey Peninsula so call me to discuss your real estate goals.

Thinking about purchasing a home here on the Monterey Peninsula? Check out my new listing in Pebble Beach. You can also view a video of the listing on my web site www.StreetsofPebbleBeach.com .

“I takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.”

Welcome to “Susan’s Musings by the Sea!” We’ll explore the Monterey Peninsula together and chat about what the Monterey Peninsula Lifestyle really is! Since I’m a realtor here in Carmel with Alain Pinel Realtors, no doubt I’ll be talking real estate, but also about what’s going on, places to see, and my adventures on the Peninsula. Whether its todays whale sightings off the coast, the Bach Festival in town, or the upcoming Car Week culminating with the Concours de Elegance – we never get bored!